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一天，一只狐狸掉进了井里无法爬出来。水倒不是很深，但是井壁平滑，布满了青笞。每次狐狸向上挣扎几英尺，又滑落下来，扑通一声掉到水里。 过了一会儿，一只山羊来到井边，好奇地从井沿向里一瞥。 "狐狸，你在下面干什么呢？”他问道。 狐狸看到了这个逃脱的机会。 “你一个人吗？”狐狸故弄玄虚地说，“我可不想让其他人都来。这井里的水太甜了，我简直喝不够。下来尝尝吧，你会发现这比你以前喝过的任何水都好喝。” 想都没想，山羊就跳进井里,大口大口地喝起水来。过了一会儿，他喝够了，环视四周看看怎样出去。 “好兄弟，没问题。”狐狸说，“你后腿支撑住，我爬上你的背。如果我能在你角上站稳了，刚好能够到地面，然后我弯身拉你上去。" 随后，山羊后腿支地，狐狸顺势爬上了井。狐狸穿过田间，一路小跑，边跑边冲着山羊喊：“如果你脑袋里的见识和你的胡须一样多的话，你就会想好怎么出来，再往井里跳。” 三思而行！ Look Before You Leap One day a fox fell into a well and could not scramble out again. The water was not very deep, but the sides of the well were smooth and covered with slippery moss so that every time the fox struggle up a few inches, he slipped down again with a splash into the water. After some time a goat came along and peered curiously over the edge. “What are you doing down there, fox?” he asked. The fox saw his chance to escape. “Are you quite alone?” he asked mysteriously, “I don’t want everyone to come at once. But the water in this well is so good that I just cannot stop drinking it. Come on in and try it. You’ll see it’s better than anything you ever tasted before.，’ Without thinking twice the goat jumped in and began to drink eagerly. After a while he had had enough to drink and he looked round to see how he could get out. “No problem at all, my dear fellow，” said the fox, “You stand on your hind legs and 1,11 climb on your back. If I balance myself on your horns I'll just about reach the ground. Then 111 lean over and pull you up after me. ’’ So the goat stood on his hind legs and the fox climbed quickly out of the well. Trot¬ting off across the field he called out to the goat, “If you have as much sense in your head as you have hairs in your beard. my friend, you would have made sure you could get out of that well before ever you jumped in.，’ |
